The Visitor
by Brishen1066
Summary: After the battle with the twelfth angel, a visitor comes to see Shinji late in the night.


Disclaimer: I don't own Eva. I make no profit from this.

The Visitor

By Brishen1066

2:23 a.m.

Shinji's eyes snapped open as he registered the buzzing sound of the doorbell floating through the apartment. He sleepily climbed out of bed, pulling on his black sweats and white t-shirt to go check the door. He staggered through the living room and into the kitchen, bumping his hip on a chair on the way. It would have been easier to navigate the apartment if he opened his eyes, but his eyelids were rebelling against the sudden transition from sleep to wakefulness.

Peering through the peephole, Shinji could not see anyone in front of the door. Curiously (and foolishly, by some standards), he opened the door to get a better look. That is when he noticed the blue-haired girl making her way back to the elevator.

"Ayanami, is that you?" called Shinji. After a moment's hesitation, the young female pilot turned back to face Shinji. "Why don't you come in, Ayanami? You shouldn't be walking around town so late."

The fair-skinned pilot tilted her head ever so slightly, and only someone with experience could read the look of confusion on her face. After a moment, she eloquently conveyed her confusion.

"Why?"

Shinji sighed, not wishing to engage in such a discussion while standing in his doorway at 2:30 a.m. "It's just not safe, ok? Now come inside and we'll talk."

Wordlessly, the girl followed Shinji into the apartment. Together, they went into the dark living room, managing not to bump into anything on the way.

"Let's just sit down on the couch," Shinji suggested. Rei quietly complied. After settling down on the couch, Shinji's eyelids began to betray him again, quietly sliding down over his eyes and lulling him back into the rare peaceful sleep he had been enjoying earlier.

Finally, Rei broke the silence. "It is dark in here." Shinji's snapped his eyes open, observing that it was indeed dark in the apartment.

"Oh…I forgot the lights…," Shinji observed as he stood to walk to the light switch. Before he could walk away from the couch, though, Rei's hand caught his wrist. Now wide awake, Shinji looked down at the young girl.

"The light is unnecessary…I only wish to talk."

"_Oh, only talk, huh?"_ Shinji darkly thought. _"Not like a beautiful girl would be waking me up in the middle of the night for anything else…"_

"I am sorry to inconvenience you. I…only wished to speak to someone,"

"Oh, well…ok…" Shinji was now thoroughly confused, deciding that the best course of action would be to sit down and listen to the girl.

"Um…," he started hesitantly, "Misato is still at work doing the paperwork from the battle, and Asuka's at Horaki-san's place." _"Geez, I sound like I'm trying to put the moves on her,"_ he realized. "Um…Asuka was a bit upset after the last battle…"

"She did seem rather upset when your sync score exceeded her own," Rei commented, referring to the sync test just prior to the battle. The twelfth angel had been the most unusual to date, consuming Shinji and imprisoning him within a sea of Dirac for almost sixteen hours.

"Yeah…I guess I made a fool of myself, huh? Asuka should be happy…even if my sync ratio is higher, she's still a better pilot."

"Pilot Soryu is skilled, but you give yourself too little credit. She has several years of training, and yet you are no less skilled than she is."

Shinji blushed at her compliment. "I guess so…" he replied, not really believing it. "So, um…what did you want to talk about?"

Rei leaned forward and rested her elbows on her knees, loosely interlacing her fingers in front of her face. "I am not certain that I can put it into words…but I wish to try."

"Well…we've got all night, I guess…" he said reluctantly, suddenly wishing that he had obeyed his body's demand to stay in bed. "_She looks like Father when she sits like that."_

"I felt something today that I am not accustomed to. I felt…fear. I was afraid for you, Ikari-kun," the red-eyed pilot admitted. "When Major Katsuragi ordered me to stand down after you sank into the angel, I did not want to obey her order. I wanted to do everything that I could to retrieve you."

After her confession, Shinji noticed that his hands were gripping the edge of the couch cushions tightly. He felt the muscles in his wrists beginning to burn, and he was sure his knuckles would have been white if he could see them. He wasn't holding on out of nervousness…oh no. It was more to keep himself on the couch, and stop him from going back to bed and dismissing this all as a dream.

"Well…," Shinji was trying his hardest not to stammer. Instead of meaningless stammering, he opted for silence until his brain could process the situation. _"Couldn't this have waited until morning?"_

Shinji's nervous brooding was interrupted by his fellow pilot. "I am sorry for being inappropriate. I only assumed that it would be more proper to speak about this privately, rather than at school."

"Um…no, that's ok, Ayanami. As for today…you were just worried. Like I was when I opened your entry plug after we fought the fifth angel, remember?"

Rei remembered that incident quite clearly, and she had spent the past several hours mulling over it. "Yes, Ikari-kun…I remember. You exposed yourself to physical harm, just as I wished to do today. But in that instance, the enemy was already defeated. Today…I wished to disobey a direct order. I wished to go against my purpose…"

Even though Shinji's mind was still fogged with sleep, and he was supremely nervous with the beautiful young girl being alone with him in the dark, a sudden moment of clarity passed over him. "Ayanami…you only live for Eva, don't you?"

"Yes. Eva is the reason I…exist. It is my purpose…I cannot escape that bond."

"I just realized something…we Eva pilots…we have nothing else but Eva. I realized why I pilot it…I do it for the acceptance of others. Without the Eva, I would go back to what I was before…nothing." Shinji leaned forward and mimicked Rei's posture, allowing his epiphany to further unfold. "Eva is the only value that I have…I have no choice in piloting it. And Asuka…I don't really know everything about her, but I know there's something in her past that makes it impossible. Piloting the Eva, and being the best at it…that's what means the most to her. None of us can escape the Evas."

"Yes…you are correct, Ikari-kun."

"_Well, _I_ thought it was a revelation…"_ he thought. "But…you know, Ayanami…I think that our bonds to Eva also bond us to each other. So…it's only natural that we worry about each other. For whatever reason, we're all stuck with piloting. But we don't have to do it alone…we have each other."

After a moment's contemplation, Rei had formulated her response. "So you are saying that I have these feelings because we both pilot. If that is the case, then should I not have the same feelings for Pilot Soryu?"

"I…," Shinji was caught off guard. _"Does she…like me, maybe? No…of course she doesn't, idiot."_ Before he could form a more coherent reply, the blue-haired girl spoke.

"When you were trapped inside the angel, Pilot Soryu was speaking ill of you. She said that you were foolish for engaging the enemy so recklessly, never mentioning that she was the one who had goaded you into taking the point position. Her words did something to me…it was another feeling with which I am unaccustomed. I was angry…I wished to strike her."

"You hit Asuka?" Shinji was now staring directly at the young pilot's profile. _"She's beautiful… What? Focus, Ikari…she's here to talk, nothing else!"_

"No--I asked her if she piloted only for the praise of others. I am unsure if that is her true motive, but I know her reasons are not entirely altruistic. It upset her further, and that pleased me."

"Great…no wonder Asuka stayed with Horaki-san. Maybe she'll just move in with her and I'll survive the week."

Neither pilot found the joke funny.

To Shinji's surprise, Rei turned to face him, catching his staring eyes with her own. His breath caught, and he was thankful that the light was too dim to see the piercing red color of her eyes. He tried to swallow, but it was futile—her gaze was hypnotic, completely seizing his body.

"Ikari-kun…why do I only have these feelings for you? You are the only person I think of in any capacity outside of Eva. You are special, and I do not know why."

Not for the first time tonight, the nervous boy was unable to speak.

"Ikari-kun…is this what it means…to love?"

"A-Ayanami…I'm not…um…I mean…" Frustrated, Shinji screwed his eyes shut and faced forward again. _"Stop thinking of her like that! Just answer her questions and let her go home."_ After a few controlled breaths, he gave a more meaningful response. "Ayanami…I'm sorry, but I don't think I can answer that… I don't really know what love is. Mother died when I was very young, and Father abandoned me. My teacher was kind, but not really loving...just tolerant. Even Misato, who probably cares for me on some level, doesn't really love me--she needs to keep me well so I can do my job."

"I see…I am also unfamiliar with love."

"But Rei!" Shinji snapped his eyes back to her, but she had turned her head forward again. "Doesn't Father care for you? You both seem so happy when you're together."

Shinji's use of the girl's first name was not lost on either pilot.

"Um…do you mind if I call you 'Rei?' You can call me Shinji too…if you want, of course."

Rei turned her head back to Shinji, catching his eyes again. "Yes, Shinji…I would like that very much." Then, something quite rare and amazing happened.

She smiled.

"You have a beautiful smile, Rei." The words escaped his mouth just an instant before his brain could process them. _"Crap…"_

Rather than the slap he would have received from Asuka, the pilot of Unit-00 gave a different response. Her smile grew by an infinitesimal degree, and she broke eye contact, turning her eyes to the floor once again. Shinji was blushing furiously, and he would have been impressed to see that Rei's face was almost as red.

"I…thank you…Shinji."

"_Her voice is beautiful too…especially when she says my name..."_ Shinji could feel his face getting warmer.

"Shinji…I would like to learn what love is."

The heat on his face was now quite intense, and he could feel the tips of his ears burning. "I…I'd like that too, Rei. But…I don't even know where to begin…"

"We should begin with intercourse. People who are in love enjoy it—if we have intercourse and enjoy it, then we will know that these feelings are love."

"Um…Rei I…I don't think…um…" Eventually, Shinji stopped stammering, again opting for silence. _"Always the eloquent one, weren't you, Ikari?"_ he thought darkly. "That's kinda…starting at the end and working backward, don't you think? We should start with something more simple, and go from there…"

"Why?"

"_This girl is unbelievable! And why am I passing up this opportunity?"_ "Well…even if I did…love you, I'm not ready to do that yet." Shinji leaned back on the couch and drew his legs up to his chest, wrapping his arms around his knees. _"I can't believe I'm having this conversation…maybe if I'm really still, I'll disappear…"_

After a few moments of silence, Rei moved to copy his pose. Shinji held his legs tightly to himself, wondering if perhaps he really was fading from view. For several minutes, both pilots were caught up in their own thoughts. Finally, Rei's voice broke the silence.

"What _are_ you ready for?"

"_Damn…I guess I didn't turn invisible…and why do I want to run from this?"_ Silencing the voice of his fears, he turned his mind to the question. "Well…I don't know about love…but I know I like you. I've known it since we fought the fifth angel."

"What is the difference between liking someone and loving him?"

"Well…if you love someone…well…" _"I don't know! It's not like I'm an expert on this stuff!"_ "You know…I'm not really sure."

"I see," Rei replied, clearly disappointed. Another tense silence settled over the dark room, until the blue-haired girl spoke again. "I believe I like you as well, Shinji-kun."

"Really?" Shinji smiled into the darkness. "So, um…what now?"

The pilot of Unit-00 continued to stare forward into the darkness. She could feel her fellow pilot's expectant stare, but she was afraid to meet it without an answer to his question. After only a moment, though, she turned to meet his gaze. "I would like to be close to you, Shinji."

For what seemed to be the hundredth time that night, the brown-haired pilot had to force himself to remember to breathe. _"She likes me…she wants to be close to me…can this be real?"_

Shinji's inner musings were interrupted by movement on the couch--Rei was sliding toward him. When their shoulders were almost touching, Rei looked up to his face. His breathing was shallow, and his eyes were tightly closed.

"Shinji-kun, are you ill?"

"No, Rei, I'm ok," he lied. In truth, he felt like he might throw up. He knew he liked the girl, but this was such a foreign and frightening experience for him. "I'm just not very good at this…I've never had a girlfriend."

"I am your girlfriend now," the red-eyed girl said, merely to hear how it sounded. She soon decided that she liked the sound of it.

"Yeah…I guess that makes me…your boyfriend," Shinji said, giving Rei a tentative smile. Rei smiled back at him, and a bit of his nervousness evaporated. He lifted his arm, wishing that it would not tremble quite so much, and put it around his new girlfriend. Rei slid closer to her new boyfriend and leaned against him, resting her head on his shoulder. A contented sigh escaped her as she got comfortable against the boy.

"This is…enjoyable, Shinji-kun."

Despite the almost nauseating feeling of butterflies in his stomach, Shinji allowed himself a light chuckle at her word choice. "Yeah…it is, Rei."

A comfortable silence fell over the new couple as each one simply enjoyed the moment. Shinji could smell the scent of her hair—he decided that he rather liked it. After what must have been ten or twenty minutes, once the nervousness passed somewhat, his eyelids again began to act on their own. He knew he would fall asleep soon, especially leaning against the warm body of his girlfriend.

"Hey, Rei…let's lie down. You can sleep here tonight, right?"

The young girl did not reply immediately, and Shinji started to wonder if perhaps she was already asleep. Before he decided to gently rouse her awake, however, she spoke. "Yes, Shinji…I can sleep here. I do not have any other clothes, however, and I do not wish to sleep in these."

Shinji noticed that his girlfriend was wearing a school uniform. He never thought much about her wearing a school uniform—it seemed like that was all she ever wore. Putting his mind to the task, however, he quickly devised a solution.

"I've got some clothes you can wear for tonight. I'll wash the clothes you have on in the morning before school…no one will notice that you're wearing the same clothes," he explained. The significance of wearing the same clothes for two days was lost on the girl, but she agreed to his plan.

Shinji led her to his room and started rummaging through his dresser. It might have been easier with a light on, but he was afraid that if he turned on a light, he might wake up from this wonderful dream. He found a large dark-blue t-shirt and tossed it on the bed with her, then turned his attention back to the dresser. After further searching in the darkness, he found a pair of black sweat pants.

"Here you go, Rei, you can put these on," he said, turning back to face his fellow pilot. He was only moderately surprised to see her unbuttoning her shirt, her skirt already lying on the floor. Since the girl was now standing between him and the door, he had no other choice than to blush and face the other way. After what seemed like a long enough, he allowed himself a slight peek. _"She is my girlfriend, after all."_ He only saw a glimpse of her nude body as she pulled the large t-shirt over her head, which was just large enough to cover her.

"Is something wrong, Shinji-kun?"

"Um…I…didn't mean to see!" he managed to choke out. Rei was staring directly at him, and he was thankful for the darkness hiding his blush. _"Nice move, Ikari…couldn't mind your own business, could you? And why is she wearing my clothes without any underwear? Ack! Asuka's right, I _am_ a pervert!"_

Rei crossed her arms under her breasts and looked at the floor with uncertainty. "I am sorry…I had forgotten that seeing me unclothed makes you uncomfortable."

"No! That's not it at all! I enjoy it! I mean, I don't enjoy it, but…wait, I mean…" His voice trailed off as he tried to calm himself down. His nearly naked girlfriend wasn't helping, though. _"Gah…she could at least put the pants on for this. She does look amazing, though, and knowing what's underneath… Ikari, stop being perverted!"_ After a deep breath, Shinji tried again. "See…it's like…intercourse. It it's not that I don't want to…I just think we should wait," he explained lamely.

"I see…" The disappointment was evident in her voice. "But, do you not think that it would be better not to wait? We are in a war…we could lose everything at any time. When you were captured by the angel today, I was afraid that I would lose you. Doctor Akagi had planned to drop N2 mines into the angel…they had given up on you.

Shinji was stunned. "You mean…they were going to kill me along with the angel?"

Rei hugged herself tighter and lowered her eyes to her feet. "Yes," she whispered. Silence reigned for the next minute as each pilot thought about the consequences of what could have happened in the battle.

"Rei," Shinji started, "let's just go to bed. It's late and I'm tired…and this will all be easier to think about in the morning." Silently, the red-eyed pilot nodded her head. After such a heavy discussion, Shinji decided that she looked as weary as he felt. "Asuka isn't coming home until after school tomorrow, and Misato probably won't be back before we leave for school. So…we can just sleep in the bed."

The young girl turned her eyes back to her boyfriend, offering him a slight smile. No words were said, but both pilots climbed into bed. Shinji laid down on his side, and his blue-haired girlfriend climbed in after him. Rei slid through the bed until she was lying with her chest against the other pilot's chest, with her face mere centimeters from his.

Shinji's pulse quickened, and he could feel his face burning in the darkness. _"This is just like the time with Asuka…except…she's awake. Her lips look so soft…"_ Unconsciously, his face was moving closer to hers. Their noses touched, and the boy could feel the light feel of her breath against his lips. _"She _is_ my girlfriend…and she's looking right at me! She isn't turning away…does she really want this too?"_ He turned his head slightly, so he could move closer than their noses would allow. As he did, Rei's head tilted back half a degree, and her eyes gently closed. Quickly deciding that was all the encouragement necessary, the young pilot made his move.

Their lips met lightly in a chaste first kiss…or at least that was Shinji's intention. Their kiss had stopped being 'chaste' several minutes earlier, and was now somewhere between 'passionate' and 'erotic.' Their bodies moved outside of conscious control, almost as if they were trying to consume each other with physical contact. Shinji's hands soon reminded him of how little the girl wore under her t-shirt, and her gasp was only a brief interruption in their kiss. Her hands slid up his neck and into his hair, and her shirt masked none of her lithe figure as she pressed herself against him. _"Mein Gott…since when do I speak German…"_

Now, Shinji may have been young, but he was not stupid. It was with great reluctance that he pulled himself away from his fellow pilot's hungry lips. He could read the disappointment on her face. Oh how he wanted to surrender to the feeling they were both sharing, but he settled for gently caressing her cheek, silently reminding her of his desire to move a bit more slowly. Rei could not have said that she liked his decision, but she silently complied, placing her own hand over the hand touching her face. Soon, both pilots settled into a comfortable sleep.

An hour later, Shinji awoke to the feeling of his girlfriend stealing kisses from him in his sleep. _"Great…my girlfriend is insatiable…never would've expected that from Rei. But, I guess I can manage…somehow…heh heh…"_ Putting his reservations aside, Shinji began to return her affection.

After another hour, Shinji was lying on his back staring up at the ceiling. His left hand was resting comfortably behind his head, and his right arm was wrapped snugly around his lover. His young lover was lying on her side, with her bare body pressed against him. Her arm was resting lazily across his chest, and her head was resting on his shoulder. The pre-dawn light was beginning to stream through the blinds. He knew he would have to rouse the young girl awake, but he decided to indulge himself and lie in bed a while longer. As he mused about his situation, his lover's hand began to slide gently across his bare chest. He turned his head to the side and was rewarded with the sight of her beautiful red eyes gazing up at him.

He smiled. She smiled back.

"_I think I can get used to this..."_

END

Author's Notes: This is just an experimental fic I decided to write before trying my hands at something more substantial. I didn't plan any of this plot in advance, so if it turned out ok, that's just my luck. Hope it was worth your time reading. Please review if you can, and be honest. Thanks for reading.


End file.
